Created on Thursday, 19 December 2013
Written by JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A man who prosecutors say wanted to start a race war is set for sentencing after pleading guilty to stockpiling weapons at a northern Ohio shopping mall.

Richard Schmidt of Toledo will be sentenced there Thursday in federal court.

Prosecutors say Schmidt amassed guns and ammunition and was planning to carry out assassinations against minorities. The FBI told black and Jewish leaders in Ohio and Michigan that their names were on a list kept by Schmidt.

His attorney calls the accusations "over-the-top."

Federal agents discovered the weapons almost a year ago at a mall south of Toledo where prosecutors say Schmidt was selling counterfeit NFL jerseys.

His defense attorney says that Schmidt had the guns and other survival gear because he was preparing for a potential doomsday calamity.